


Take Me Home

by bottledyarn



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-09
Updated: 2012-07-09
Packaged: 2017-11-19 13:23:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottledyarn/pseuds/bottledyarn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bringing your boyfriend home to meet your parents is never a fun time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Me Home

**Author's Note:**

> originally by request on my tumblr

             “I don’t wanna,” Zayn whined, planting his feet so that Harry’s tugs at his arms didn’t do anything.

            “You promised that by Christmas, you would tell them, and it’s Christmas Eve,” Harry said. “Get in the car.”

            “It’s an hour’s drive,” Zayn complained, trying to keep his body straight so that Harry couldn’t shove him into the seat. “You can’t make me drive.”

            “Zayn, it’s not going to be that bad.  You just knock, and after they finish hugging you, just say, this is my boyfriend, Harry.”

            “What if they freak out?”

            “Well, they know you’re gay, don’t they?”

            “Kind of?” Zayn said.

            Harry closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. “So, not at all, I’m guessing?”

            “Yeah, they have no clue.”

            “Are they strict?” Harry asked, shoving Zayn the rest of the way into the seat and closing the door behind him.

            “No, they won’t be mad…just surprised, I think.  Maybe angry that I didn’t tell them sooner.”

            Harry sighed, getting into the passenger side. “You can stress over it on the drive.”

            “Maybe they won’t be home.”

            “At noon on Christmas Eve? Where would they be?”

            “Out.”

            “Drive, Zayn.”

            Zayn reluctantly turned on the car, making a whine under his breath as he started backing out of the space and leaving the parking lot.  “I don’t wanna.”

            “Stop it.”

            “It’s just so awkward.”

            “Yeah, well, it’d be more awkward if you just never told them and tried to convince them that you just happened to be living with one guy for years.”

            Zayn sighed. “Maybe it’ll start snowing and we’ll have to stop at a hotel instead of going.”

            “We’re going.”

            Zayn remained silent for maybe ten minutes before groaning. “My grandmother’s going to be there!”

            “She can suck it up,” Harry said, shrugging when Zayn gave him a harsh look.

            “She’s hardcore religious, she might hit me with a stick or something,” Zayn said miserably. “Oh, god, forty five minutes.”

            “I’m sure they will all still love you,” Harry said.  “Just calm down.”       

            “When did you tell your parents?” Zayn asked.

            “When they dropped me off for college. My mum gave me a big lecture about safe sex and not getting girls pregnant, and I just said ‘Oh, well, I’m gay, so I’ll only have to worry about STD’s!  Love you, mum, see you at Thanksgiving’ and then I just shut the door in her face.”

            “No you didn’t,” Zayn said incredulously. “You did not.”

            “I did.  And she called me a few minutes later and said she didn’t care, but still wanted me to be careful.”

            “I’m terrified,” Zayn said weakly. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

            “It’s really time. We’ve been dating for a year and a half, for god’s sake,” Harry said. “I introduced you to my family a year ago.”

            Zayn moaned and thumped the steering wheel slightly before falling silent again, his face in a grimace for the next half hour.

            “Oh, god, we’re in my town,” Zayn said. “I think it’s time we turn around.”

            “I don’t think so,” Harry said. “Ten minutes!”

            Zayn let out an unintelligible yell.  “What am I going to say?”

            “I already told you!”

            Zayn took a deep breath and quieted down again, batting Harry’s hand away when he tried to pat his arm. 

            When they finally pulled into Zayn’s driveway, Harry had to quite literally drag Zayn from the car.  His family came flooding out and took him the rest of the way in, practically ignoring the fact that Harry was there. Harry drifted in after them, standing awkwardly in the kitchen as they hugged and shouted.

            Once things quieted down, Zayn’s mother noticed Harry.

            “Who is your friend, Zayn?” she asked, smiling.

            Harry gave Zayn a look, raising his eyebrows at Zayn’s horrified expression.

            Zayn started breathing heavily as though he’d run a marathon.  His family stared at him.  One of his sisters giggled at him, probably thinking that he was fooling around.

            “This is Harry,” Zayn finally said, his voice breaking slightly. “Harry’s my-”

            Zayn took another breath, closing his eyes. “Harry’s my-”

            “We’re waiting,” one of his sisters said. “Do you have something in your throat?”

            Zayn coughed, as if testing that statement.  “Harry’s my…” he let out a small breath. “Harry’s my boyfriend.”

            It was dead silent for a long moment, and Harry had to avert his gaze to the ceiling, trying to avoid some of the awkward.

            “Oh, god, I told you they’d hate me,” Zayn said to Harry, a quiet, panicked voice in his ear.

            “I’m Harry,” Harry said, reaching his hand out to the nearest relative. “I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”

            Zayn’s mother shook his hand slowly.  “How did I not know my son was gay?”

            “I’m sorry,” Zayn mumbled.

            “How long have you known?” Zayn’s sister asked.

            “Since I was fifteen.”

            Zayn’s mother smacked his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

            “I was scared,” Zayn admitted.  His mom hugged him at that, reaching out and smacking her husband to get him to say something.

            “How long have you been dating?” his dad asked curiously.

            Zayn muttered the answer under his breath.

            “Excuse me?” his mom said.

            “A year and a half,” Harry clarified.

            Zayn’s mom’s mouth opened wide. “And you never introduced us!”

            “Sorry, sorry,” Zayn said, wincing away as if they would hit him.

            His grandmother had her arms crossed, off to the side.  Harry was slightly worried, but then she moved forward, reaching to ruffle Zayn’s hair slightly.

            “I would have made him a loaf of my bread, silly boy. Now I am a rude host,” she said.

            Zayn let out a sigh of relief. “Next year.”

            “You’re not the host,” Zayn’s mom said. “You’re a guest.”

            “I am close enough.”

            Harry shifted back from the family as they started chatting again in light banter. Zayn moved with him, showing him into the living room, where they collapsed onto one of the couches.

            “That was the worst thing ever,” Zayn said. “I’m exhausted.”

            “That wasn’t bad at all,” Harry said. “You’re such a whiner.”

            “I think I almost fainted.”

            “You _were_ hyperventilating,” Harry said. “That was a little overdramatic.”

            Zayn let his head fall onto Harry’s shoulder.  “I’m so tired.”

            “At least they took it well.”

            “I thought for a second that I’d killed them, they were so quiet.”

            “Well, all’s well that ends well,” Harry said, lacing his fingers with Zayn’s.  “Don’t you feel better now that they know?”

            “I’ll feel better once my pulse returns to normal,” Zayn laughed, lifting his head off Harry’s shoulder.

            Harry leaned into him, kissing him lightly.

            “That isn’t helping,” Zayn said, grinning.

            “How about this?” Harry asked, kissing under Zayn’s jaw and ear.            

            “Mm, not helping.”

            Harry kissed the side of Zayn’s neck, making him tip his head towards his shoulder and let out a ridiculous sounding laugh.

            “Aww.”

            Harry pulled back, smiling sheepishly. One of Zayn’s sisters was standing in the doorway.

            “You’re adorable,” she said. “They want you both back in the kitchen, mum’s insisting on having some kind of lunch.”

            Harry stood up, tugging Zayn up along with him.  “Your family is lovely,” Harry said. “I don’t understand why you were worried.”

            “Well, I’m just naturally nervous about everything.  If you hadn’t approached me, I would never have ended up with you.  I did like you; I just would never make the first move. I’m terrified of rejection.”

            “I guess it’s a good thing I did, then,” Harry said, squeezing Zayn’s hand as he walked back into the kitchen.

            Zayn knew he didn’t have to worry at all when his mother dashed up to Harry and shoved a miniature sandwich in his mouth, exclaiming that he had to try it.

            Harry chewed, pressing the ends of his fingers to his mouth so he wouldn’t look slovenly, and nodded with a smile.

            “It’s great.”

            His mom beamed and gave Zayn a little pat on his arm, like the fact that Harry liked her sandwich made him a good catch. 

            Zayn smiled at Harry, whose eyes were watering from the spice that his mom slathered on practically everything. He really was a good catch. 


End file.
